Watching The Holdovers I realized that it offers a healthier depiction of male mentorship than the culture has been giving us over the last few decades. Sitcom males are awkward, stupid, clumsy and display no Christian fierceness or piety. Men in science fiction movies are absent or dolts who need to be corrected by female superiors. Even healthy aggression gets tarred as “toxic masculinity.”

Most informed and honest people are familiar with the statistics about fatherless boys: Young men who grow up in homes without fathers are twice as likely to end up in jail as those who come from traditional two-parent families, have a higher risk of suicide and behavioral disorders, and are much more likely to drop out of school.

Yes, these figures are striking and support the case, often made by conservatives, that fathers are indispensable. But there is also something to be said for the argument that it takes many male mentors to raise a boy. There once was a time when young men from bad homes could find role models in churches, the military, in local businesses, or even just fixing cars around the neighborhood. The Holdovers champions that reality.

[I’ve been meaning to see this anyway, but Mark’s insight here has made it a higher priority now. I’d also add that the last time I saw that kind of male mentorship, it was in a film about a teenage girl — ‘Edge of Seventeen,’ which was surprisingly good. Woody Harrelson played a cynical teacher, and it almost seemed as though his role would go in a very disturbing direction, but his character turned out to be a surprisingly sympathetic and mentoring person. Harrelson was very good in the role, too, while Hailee Stanfield did a remarkable job in the lead. — Ed]